Freight Brokers Targeted in Sophisticated Cyber Cargo Theft Schemes

Cybercriminals are exploiting remote access tools to infiltrate trucking and freight brokerage companies, enabling them to steal physical cargo with digital precision. This trend is reshaping cargo theft into a cyber-enabled operation, with actors leveraging remote monitoring and management (RMM) software like ScreenConnect and PDQ Connect to gain control of dispatch systems, impersonate legitimate carriers, and bid on real loads.

For insurance claims professionals, particularly those managing logistics, inland marine, or cargo claims, this development introduces complex loss scenarios involving both cyber breaches and physical theft. Carriers may not immediately detect thefts initiated digitally, complicating coverage assessments, subrogation, and liability determinations. As these schemes grow more sophisticated, adjusters must stay alert to signs of coordinated cyber-physical fraud, especially when reviewing claims involving missing shipments, hijacked loads, or broker disputes.

Proofpoint reports that cybercriminals are not targeting specific companies, but are opportunistically exploiting any freight-related entities that respond to fake listings. This broad targeting increases the risk across the industry, from small family-owned trucking firms to large logistics providers. The campaigns often mimic trusted communications and use signed installers to avoid detection—an added challenge for verifying claim legitimacy.

Claims professionals will need to understand the digital tools used in these attacks, how they interact with load boards, and the implications for underwriting and adjusting policies. Losses from cargo theft already exceed $34 billion annually, and the integration of cyber tactics only expands the exposure. Fraud detection strategies, cyber liability overlaps, and policy wording around "authorized access" and "voluntary parting" may all need reevaluation in light of these attacks.